


Wanderings

by csichick_2



Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers, Power Rangers Turbo, Power Rangers Zeo
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-26 07:10:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13852668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/csichick_2/pseuds/csichick_2
Summary: After losing the Gold Ranger powers - and being used as a pawn by Divatox - Jason needs to get away from Angel Grove to rediscover himself.





	Wanderings

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Word of the Day prompt "Wanderjahr."

When Jason stopped being the Red Ranger, it took him a few weeks to adjust, but it was manageable. That's why he thought he was prepared for the after effects of losing the Gold Ranger powers. Except he forgot the one major difference - the first time he gave up his powers willingly. This time he was forced to give them up to save his life. And that made the adjustment that much worse. Add getting kidnapped by Divatox to the mix, and the first thing Jason did after his high school graduation was to get the hell out of Angel Grove. His parents were disappointed that he was putting college on hold, but they didn't put up too much of a fight, which makes him wonder if they've known about his being a Ranger all this time.

They did, however, put one stipulation on his trip. They would pay for everything, but only if he planned out where he was going ahead of time. As much as he wants to protest, reputable hotels won't rent rooms to an eighteen-year-old, so having a set route allows his parents to make reservations for him. And Jason is grateful that he won't have to sleep in his car for the next several months.

He starts out spending a week in San Francisco. He meets a lot of interesting people, a few of whom he plans to keep in contact with. For the first time in a long time he was able to go twenty-four hours without speaking or hearing about the Power Rangers, and it's far more refreshing than he ever would have expected.

He doesn't spend more than two nights in any one place until he gets to Chicago. When he finds a ticket to a Cubs game waiting for him when he checks into his hotel, he wonders just how well connected his mother is. And then immediately calls her to thank her. At the game he meets someone that he spends the rest of the week with, but their connection isn't strong enough for him to want to stay in Chicago any longer.

As much as he enjoys travelling the entire country, there's no one place that truly captures his attention. At least not until he arrives in New York. When it comes time for him to check out of hotel, he's loath to leave; however, he's also respectful enough of his parents to not put them in the position to spend even more money so that he can spend extend his stay in the most expensive city in the United States. He's just going to have to make plans to come back. Since putting off college for a year means that UCLA is no longer holding a spot for him, he's going to have to apply to college all over again. He'd been planning to apply to all the same schools, and now a number of New York City colleges are on the list as well.

As he continues on, he avoids the state of Florida all together. He knows that he wouldn't be able to resist visiting Kimberly, which would lead to revisiting their Ranger days. And since that would be counterproductive to the purpose of this trip, he decides it's best to stay far away.

As he makes his way back towards California, he has mixed feelings about his journey ending. On the one hand, taking this time has accomplished what he wanted it to do. He's figured out who he is outside of his two stints as a Ranger and come to peace with the fact that part of his life is behind him. On the other, part of him is afraid that going back to Angel Grove will undo some of what his travels accomplished.

When he's a few hours away from home he catches a news report about the Rangers and he's relieved to find the pang of longing is longer there. As much as he wants to credit it all on the past several months, he knows the fact that the Red Ranger is very clearly not Tommy is also a factor. He wants to be angry that no one told him, but then he reminds himself that he hadn't exactly made himself easy to reach the past several months. As he pulls into the driveway of his childhood home, he finds himself for the first time truly ready for whatever life throws at him next.


End file.
